OTTAWA - A slight majority of Canadians are comfortable with the idea of the country remaining involved in Afghanistan post-2011, but in a civilian role and not with combat troops, a new poll suggests.
The findings of The Canadian Press Harris-Decima survey appear to be in lockstep with the Conservative government's approach to the mission, which is to bring the troops home in late 2011 and steer efforts toward diplomacy and development.
"Canadians generally agree that we should not have troops in Afghanistan beyond 2011," Doug Anderson, senior vice-president at Harris-Decima, said in a statement.
"While opinions are probably not terribly firm at this point, there is more support than opposition to the idea of having a civilian mission replace the military one."
A national survey found 49 per cent of those asked either supported or strongly supported a continued civilian commitment to the under-developed, war-racked country, while 40 per cent were opposed. The rest were uncertain or had no opinion.
Support for a renewed civilian mission was highest among respondents in Alberta, at 57 per cent, and followed closely by Ontario, where 53 per cent of those surveyed said they supported it.
Quebec and Atlantic Canada appeared cool to the idea and a majority of respondents in those regions even favoured bringing the troops home earlier than 2011.
The results are interesting, especially since support for the military in almost everything it does is routinely highest in Atlantic Canada, which proportionally contributes the greatest number of soldiers, sailors and aircrew to the military.
Several cabinet minister suggested a couple of weeks ago that Parliament will be asked to consider what kind of mission the country should undertake in Afghanistan after the current mandate expires.
Stockwell Day, the cabinet committee chairman overseeing the mission, has asked the special House of Commons committee on Afghanistan to begin drafting its ideas on what the post-2011 commitment should look like.
There is a lot of debate across Canada, at NATO, the United Nations and in Washington about where the Afghan mission is headed next, he said.
"I think the time is ripe for consideration by this committee, participants here, to give us your views, give us your direction, your suggestions," Day said.
"I can well imagine another motion or another form of Parliamentary direction. We've already indicated on the areas of social development, community development, human rights, institutional capacity; we are there for the long-term.
"Many of our plans are in place and they are going to take a number of years to achieve."
The Tories have twice gone to Parliament since 2006 seeking an extension of the combat mission. The last motion passed in March 2008 and authorized troops to remain until July 2011 and to withdraw from combat by the end of the year.
Liberal foreign affairs critic Bob Rae said the government must already be studying options for the new civilian mission and he demanded they be brought forward.
The biggest question surrounding the idea of a civilian mission is what kind of role the Canadian military will play -- if any -- in the protection of diplomats and development workers on the volatile streets of Kandahar.
Several cabinet ministers, including Defence Minister Peter MacKay, have skirted the delicate issue.
The survey suggests overall support for the current military mission has remained largely static and polarized, with just over 56 per cent opposed to the war.
The poll of 1,000 Canadians was conducted Oct. 8-12 and is considered accurate within 3.1 percentage points either way, 19 times in 20.
